Private Spacer's Quarrel

[Halden Chaussidier]

Spacer's Quarrel​

Location: The Runner's Haven

The music was slow, the conversations were calm and the bartender had time to keep cleaning his pristine mugs once more. It was not desolate but clearly, this was not the busiest establishment along the Corellian Run. While the room was dark and the bar a short one, it was still relatively homely. There was an unmistakable aroma of whiskey and ale, probably ingrained in the wood of the old fashioned stools and tables. The Bartender, an old Zabrak, cast a suspicious eye on the new arrival. Halden smiled at the man and gave him a familiar nod before quickly throwing a few glances around the cantina. His eyes briefly lingered on cloaked figure who sat in a booth by the kitchen door before returning to the Bartender.

Few seemed to pay much attention to the new arrival. Not even the cloaked figure. Only a group of three tough looking Aqualish spacers seemed to turn check him out. "That's not our mechanic" one of them said before turning back to his mates. "I hope you will get out from here soon" Halden spoke with a friendly voice but only received a gruff "yeah yeah" as the man waved him away. The youngster chuckled before moving on towards the bar.

Upon arriving, he pointed to the tap. The bartender, still eyeing Halden with reservation was about to speak up before the spacer produced his identification. "Sure thing." the old Zabrak replied, quickly filling up a mug "What brings you here? Another hyperdrive malfunction? We've had eight this month."

Halden shook his head "No, just stopping by. Is eight a lot?"

"Last month we didn't have any. Now, we are having repairs conducted in both bay three and four"

The blonde let out a light laugh "I sure noticed that bay two was getting crowded. At least it brings people here, right?"

A sly grin spread across the barkeep's face "We'll enjoy it while it lasts"

Ranna Sejast

 

[Ranna Sejast]

This wasn't Ranna's usual type of place, the music was nice enough, but the dim lighting combined with the illumination showing off the shelves of bottles behind the bar and spotlighting the wall made it difficult for her eyes to adjust, and the overall effect was a little nicer than her usual haunts. A lot nicer actually. She tried not to let it show, but she was uncomfortable here, as if her oil-stained jumpsuit and rough clothing might somehow dirty this place just with her mere presence.

Spotting a small group of Aqualish spacers watching her, she gave them a small nod. She was here to meet them and discuss possibly fixing their ship. One of them tried waving her over, but she responded "Just a moment," heading instead to the bar and standing a short distance away from a young man getting his own drink. "Whiskey coke," sliding a cred chit across the bar's surface as she ordered. Normally someone responding to her board posts would have them call her to their hanger for mechanic work, and this bought her time to think about what this setting could mean. Was this just a favorite hang-out? A strange custom? Did they take mechanic to refer to her other line of work?

Taking a moment, she centered herself, took comfort in the weight of the blaster slung low across her hip, and took the offered glass with a nod of thanks. She let the flavors swirl across her tongue with a slow sip before turning back to her potential employers. "Alright guys, what seems to be the problem?" As she spoke, Ranna made her way to the trio before taking the offered chair.

"Hyperdrive's out." Said one. "Everyone's hyperdrive is out," Agreed the next. "The wait is long and you're not working." stated the third. The mercenary's eyes slid from one to another as she studied them. Were they brothers or just working crew together? At least they weren't Bith, it was near impossible for her to tell them apart.

"You know I'm not station crew since you found me on the job board. I'm taking it you want to 'jump the line' so to speak," she grinned and took another drink. "I can do that for you."

H Halden Chaussidier

 

[Halden Chaussidier]

Spacer's Quarrel​

From the stool on which Halden sat, he could easily see anyone who entered or left the modest establishment. For now, nobody seemed to be leaving and only one new person arrived. Just like previously, the young spacer eyed the new person - his eyes darting over her frame, clothes and lingering over her blaster. He had spotted at least one by the hip of one of the Aqualish earlier too. His facial expression didn't change much and he continued chatting away with the bartender. Soon, however, the blonde slowly stood up and leaned onto the counter.

At times, there would be an awkward pause or two in the conversation between the barkeep and Halden - for he was also trying to listen in on the conversation that had now started between those who were armed. The woman with the oil-stained clothes appeared to be a mechanic and the hyperdrive issues the bartender spoke of seemed to be the topic of conversation here too.

"Told ya" the bartender chuckled, completely disrupting the conversation he and Halden had.

An amused smirk appeared on the spacer's lips as he turned back to the Zabrak "So you were listening in on them too?" his voice was low but far from a whisper

A hearty chuckle came from the elder "It's part of the job. Ahhh, but it's a conversation I've heard a few times now already. I'm more interested in why someone like you would want to come here"

Halden's brows rose, displaying slight surprise at the shift of attention. Before given a chance to answer, the bartender continued speaking, skillfully avoiding any awkward silences

"I would've asked her but she appears to be the silent type" he pointed to the cloaked figure

"Well, I met someone further up the Run who had stopped by here. His hyperdrive had gone bad too but he..." the sentence was cut short as the lights suddenly flickered followed by a low sound of the station's power winding down. As the lights turned off completely, Halden's hand quickly shot in under his jacket by his back to grip his concealed blaster pistol.

A frustrated grumble came from the old Zabrak "Just give it a sec, the backup generators got us covered"

As if on command, the sound of generators winding up could soon be heard, allowing lights, fridges and life support systems to come back online. The moment of ease would be fleeting - for before long, the sound of an explosion boomed across the station. The systems that had just powered on again quickly shut down, leaving the bar in complete darkness and silence.

With no source of light, Halden couldn't see a thing until a flashlight turned on from the bar "We ran maintenance on the backups a month ago, this ain't no coincidence. Something's not right"

Ranna Sejast

 

[Ranna Sejast]

"Fine." "Two hundred credits to find out what is wrong with the drive." "Then we will come to terms on the repair." Ranna had negotiated with the strange trio each spoke in a different order and none seemed to be making the decisions, but she'd finally got them to come to accept that she wouldn't accept a price on a repair job sight unseen. "Agreed," as she reached to take the middle one's offered hand the lights shut off with a flicker. Blinking once, Ranna pulled her hand up and twisted to the side, holding her breath as if waiting for an attack.

"Just give it a sec, the backup generators got us covered" The bartender's words had barely carried through the room before the power came back up and Ranna felt foolish and lowered her hand to the puzzled Aqualish's, shaking it before he'd fully recovered himself. "How often does something like this happen?" She asked turning to the old Zabrak.

The words were barely out of her mouth before an explosion rumbled through the decking and set glasses rattling across the shelves and the lighting snapped off again with a finality. "Right, I'll meet you in the hanger in a bit." She quietly told the three as she stood and quietly began to make her way through the black room to where she remembered the door. Her hand was searching through pockets for a light when the bartender snapped his on. Ranna was turning to thank him when her eyes crossed over the hooded figure wearing strange goggles and blaster leveled. "Gun!" She cried out in warning, her voice cracking in panic. But they were already firing.

A flurry of shots decimated her new clients as she tried to skip back and stumbled into a chair sending her careening over it and to the floor at the the bar's entrance which didn't swoosh open. Of course, the power was out. Ranna pulled her own blaster and let out a yelp as a smattering of shots impacted the tables and chairs around her to send splinters flying and her rolling into what she hoped was better cover. The sound of more blaster fire filled the air but she couldn't see who was shooting or where and she took the opportunity to get her feet under herself again and raise up to shoot at the now standing figure.
H Halden Chaussidier

 

[Halden Chaussidier]

Spacer's Quarrel​

"How often does something like this happen?"

The bartender looked over to the greasy woman as the lights returned, grimacing slightly as he produced a rough estimate. "Six? Yeah, maybe six times a year?" His mouth opened to continue, obviously taking the situation lightly and happy to keep the chatter going. Then the backup generator failed too.

After the flashlight turned on, Halden's gaze simply followed wherever the old Zabrak was pointing it until he heard the mechanic call out the weapon. Halden's eyes immediately shot towards the direction of the Aqualish crew, only to see them being shot down from another direction. Already on his feet, Halden pushed himself up onto the bar and hopped down for cover the other side of it.

As soon as the youngster got in behind the bar, he quickly produced his blaster and prepared to point it at anyone else who decided to peek into his cover. He did not, however, join the fight.

It was no longer just the flashlight that lit up the room but also blaster bolts. From behind the bar, Halden observed the light emanating from the bolts, one source being roughly where the mechanic was and the other where he remember the cloaked figure being. Looking back, he could also see the Zabrak pointing the light at the latter.

A gasp escaped him when one of the bolts came in the direction of the bar and hit the elder by the abdomen. The man collapsed, dropping the light onto the floor behind the bar, quickly putting the rest of the establishment in relative darkness once more. The cloaked woman ceased firing at the mechanic and the kitchen doors could be heard swooshing open, likely allowing for a quick sortie.

Quickly, the spacer scrambled to pick the flashlight up and pointed it at the old Zabrak, confirming that he had indeed been shot. Halden once more hid his blaster as he shot forth towards the old man "Don't you worry, I've got a medpack in my ship"

Obviously in great pain, the bartender struggled to utter a few weak words "No time... take me there. No lifesupport"

The Spacer's eyebrows shot up in surprise with his eyes bolting between the wound, where he remembered the ventilation shaft being and the main entrance. He nodded before turning around, still crouched behind the bar. With a strong voice carrying a barely noticeable shiver, he spoke up over the bar counter "Whoever you are, I mean you no harm. We just want to get to my ship, we don't have to fight."

 

[Ranna Sejast]

The cowled man shot the bartender as her own fire lanced around him from her jerky trigger pulls and the light fell down behind the bar, plunging the room into murky dimness. At the sound of running feet, Ranna angled herself around the table and let off another shot that illuminated their attacker running towards the kitchen swing door. She lined up on it and right as he reached it, she breathed out, took up the remaining pull, and felt the impact of the blaster in the palm of her hand. No longer rushed, she sent another into his back, knocking him forward and into the swinging door where faint light spilled back out into the main room.

Weakly trying to roll over, blaster still in hand, a third measured bolt caught him in the throat, ending the threat. Ranna allowed herself a quiet exhale of relief, only now feeling the pounding if her heart as the adrenalin made her body feel twitchy. Acrid smoke from the blaster fire lazily swirled through the room and itched her nose.

"Whoever you are, I mean you no harm. We just want to get to my ship, we don't have to fight." That must have been the guy at the bar. Ranna didn't look away from the man she'd downed, her weapon trained on him as she cautiously approached. "Good!" She called back surprisingly clearly. He wasn't a threat she decided, or had decided during the fight. He hadn't attacked her during the fight and he'd had ample opportunity to blindside her. Mentally she winced at that. A professional should have expected a second attacker. In a more normal tone she continued, "I don't want to fight either."

"I've got no idea who this guy is or why he decided to shoot up the place." At least h was dead now. Holstering her pistol again, she knelt down over the body and gave it a quick pat down starting at the top of his boots and ending with those strange goggles. Trying them on for herself lit the room in all the colors of the rainbow. A heat map that made her a bright red through yellows and the the cooler walls greens and blues. She also pulled out a vibroknife, some cred chits she pocketed, and a com pad she couldn't unlock which she also pocketed. Otherwise he had nothing.

She heard some quiet moaning from the bar direction . "You guys good?"
H Halden Chaussidier

 

[Halden Chaussidier]

Spacer's Quarrel​

While a relieved breath escaped him, Halden didn't relax a muscle upon hearing the woman speak a clear 'Good!' - his eyes were still locked up the top of the counter, silently scanning for any surprises. It was only when she confirmed that she had no desire for a fight that he fully relaxed, letting his broad shoulders fall as he glanced back to the injured elder.

Slowly and carefully, Halden peeked up from behind the counter before quickly rising to his full height and directing the torch towards the mechanic who seemed to be searching through a body wearing a cloak. He let out a hollow breath as she nonchalantly mentioned not knowing the dead person. "Well, at least the shooting stopped. I take it those Aqualish guys are gone too?" he spoke, still with a strong enough voice to hide any insecurities. Not waiting for a response, he crouched down by the Zabrak and whispered a silent "She killed her"

In response, the bartender let out a tired and pained grunt, apparently dismissing the danger their fellow survivor might pose. Instead, he spent what little energy he had left on something else "Oxygen, fifteen minutes"

Halden's eyebrows rose once more as he let out a slow "Oohh, blast". The woman asked if they were okay and Halden stood back up "I'm fine but he's not. We've got to get to my ship. I've got a medpack there and it seems like the station will be running out of oxygen. He said that we've got fifteen minutes - but I'm not sure if he can hold on for that long." Any traces of insecurity were gone now. Instead, Halden spoke with the determination of someone who believed themselves to know exactly what needed doing.

"I don't think he's in any condition to move on his own." he said whilst positioning himself to carry the elder over his shoulders. "Mind leading the way?"

Ranna Sejast

 

[Ranna Sejast]

At the mention of a medkit, Ranna's hand went to the back of her waist, "Oh I've got one... back on my ship," she finished lamely. She didn't have her medkit, or her armor, or her flight suit, or even her second blaster. None of the things she'd want to bring to a situation like this. "Yeah sure, grab his light," she told the stranger as she went to the entry door and began to pull it open. "What's with the fifteen minutes though? Should be loads of air floating about. Now the grav-plating I can understand. Those have an energy build-up that give them a kind of 'momentum,' which is why we're walking now, but they'll drop off soon annnd...." Her voice trailed off as she braced her back to the frame and pushed it open on its rails with her foot and stronger leg muscles.

"Looks clear, just other people on the rez-deck without a clue what's going on." The few people she could see with the thermal goggles looked to be wandering aimlessly, either caught out in the corridor when the power failed or unwilling to shelter where they were. A few of the smarter ones had one hand on the wall and another out before them to stop them from running into someone else.

"What's your name anyways? I'm Ranna." She changed the subject as she lead them into the corridor, no telling how far their voices would carry in the metal hallways without the background hum of machinery and normal conversation. Everyone was spooked, and the few talking were staying quiet. She'd figured out the fifteen minute deadline and didn't want to panic a crowd.
H Halden Chaussidier

 

[Halden Chaussidier]

Spacer's Quarrel​

As soon as the mechanic agreed to help him and the bartender, Halden proceeded to pick the elder up. A pained groan escaped the Zabrak's lips, causing the youngster to look up nervously whilst trying to adjust his position a little in case that was what caused the pain. Following the instructions fast, he picked up the flashlight with his left hand and pointed it to the entry that the woman seemed focused on.

Although he no longer carried the same energetic hop to his step, the spacer barely seemed to slow down despite the additional weight he carried over his shoulders.

Upon hearing her question, Halden just looked at her with an empty expression that would normally have been accompanied with a shrug. "I don't know." he said, pausing for the bartender to respond. After a few moments of awkward silence, he continued "He just said something along the lines of 'Oxygen, fifteen minutes'. You do you, but I'd rather play it safe"

For a brief moment, Halden turned the flashlight off. "Well done" he whispered after she got the doors up. Only when she said that it was clear did he turn the flashlight back on. The sudden light source certainly brought them some attention for when Halden shone the light on the others, they already seemed to be looking at him. Most, if not all, of them appeared to be fellow travellers. People whom did not have any permanent presence on the station.

"Halden" he said, whilst also slowing down a bit after they had passed through the open area and moved into a seemingly quiet corridor. Once more, there was no response from the elderly bartender. A few more moments passed before the youngster continued "Shouldn't we let them know? I mean, if the station's life support only has thirteen minutes left, I'd sure want to know"

Ranna Sejast

 

[Ranna Sejast]

Should they help them? Part of her worried about it slowing them down, but a much larger part knew she'd regret it forever if she never tried. Her mind flashed back to a transport ship of refugees swarmed by TIE fighters. That had been an impossible choice, one she'd regretted late at night even when she knew there'd been no way to save them all, the thought of saving some had comforted her. "Of course we should." She murmured back to Halden.

"Hey!" She called out, getting the attention of the few not already drawn by the light. "This old bartender," she hooked her thumb back at the Zabrak Halden was carrying in demonstration, "figures he knows the station pretty well. And he says we need to get off real quick like. So if you have a personal ship, make your way there, maybe grab everybody you can for a jump or two, if not, get to a lifeboat and wait for rescue." There was a rising of voices and questions asked over each other. "Air's going to go bad quick, there's no circulation and once gravity is gone, nothing stopping the bad air from mixing with the good. Hurry! But don't rush."

That was about as good a speech as she figured she could give, and they didn't have time for more. "Come on Halden, let me know if you need me to take him for awhile." She started off towards the hangers, glad to see most of the crowd heading that way too. Some broke off, either for family or possessions, or out of disbelief. Ranna couldn't tell. "How many people do you think you can take?" She asked after a bit. "My ship's just a two-seater but I can take him if need be."
H Halden Chaussidier

 

[Halden Chaussidier]

Spacer's Quarrel​

A warm look spread across the Spacer's features as he watched her turn back to warn the others. Halden leaned his head towards the bartender's and spoke with a hushed tone as to avoid disrupting her speech "She's a good one" as if to extinguish any doubt that lingered from when he reported that she had killed someone earlier. As the mechanic continued explaining the situation, Halden walked up to show himself and the old Zabrak, giving him the opportunity to say a few words. None would come.

"No, I'm fine. I work out like a maniac during long travels." he said, already turning to continue down the corridor "But I think we should hurry, this guy doesn't seem to have much energy left in him."

The trio continued down the corridor, likely with a good number of people tailing them. "You must be that Y-wing. I parked my freighter next to you, the Errai. If we are really desperate, i could probably take twenty to thirty people but I'd be breaking all the safety regulation there is. If we're lucky-...." he trailed off as they turned the corner and entered the main hallway that led to the station's four public hangars. As Halden brought the light up along the corridor, he stopped at the corpse of another Aqualish crewman right outside the doors to Bay 3.

"Looks like he was shot. Three times at least." the tall youngster spoke whilst squinting to see the alien's wounds more clearly. What he did not see was the doors to Bay 4 opening. Another body, this time a finely dressed human one, fell out, followed by another cloaked figure wearing the same googles as Ranna. Upon seeing the large group heading towards the hangars, the figure looked back into the hangar and hollered a few words before producing a blaster rifle and pointing it at those approaching. Soon, the hallway lit up as the first bolt was fired.

Ranna Sejast

 

[Ranna Sejast]

"That's me." She confirmed with pride. Her ship wasn't much, but it was hers outright. Turning back to see why he'd stopped talking, another dead crewman. Hand on blaster, but not drawing it, she walked forward to give him a look over. The three from earlier hadn't mentioned another partner, but then they'd been light on personal details. Still he wore the same 'uniform' they'd shared. "Man, someone really had it out for these guys."

The hissing of the door made her look up in time to see another body fall. As a new cloaked figure stepped forward she was drawing and angling her body. "Don't!" She cried out, but he opened fire anyways and she did the same, this time her first shot caught him in the head and sent it snapping back as he collapsed. People behind her were screaming and moaning or running for their lives. Still she remained standing, blaster trained on the opening. When nothing happened, she padded up to the door frame and peaked inside.

It was pitch black again, but her confiscated goggles showed a few people peaking around boxes and the type of equipment left around hangers. She pulled back before one figured out she wasn't going to walk in blindly and tried to go for a long shot. Crouching she snagged the leg of the man she'd just killed and, with a grunt, pulled him out into the hallway's protection.

Guiltily she looked back at the new mess of dead and injured and saw Halden looking at her for guidance and briefly felt lost. She was a pilot! She'd never even shot someone until maybe ten minutes ago. "I saw maybe four more in cover, figure another two or three. Either out of sight or searching through their ship." She nodded towards the dead Aqualish and avoided looking at the people that'd followed them. "We can try another hanger and hope there aren't more, but I kinda want to kill these guys. And my ship's in there, which means yours is too." Meeting Halden's eyes, she held out the slightly singed goggles she'd just picked up and had been wiping the blood from. The question was implicit. Was he going to go in and help her?
H Halden Chaussidier

 

[Halden Chaussidier]

Spacer's Quarrel​

Instead of a prolonged fight like last time, this one was short. Ranna managed to hit the assailant in the head whilst his shot wooshed past them and hit a panel behind them. Halden's hand had reached towards his hidden blaster but quickly shot back up to better balance the elderly Zabrak on his shoulders once the danger was over. With the flashlight still on, he moved up towards the doorway behind the mechanic.

For a few brief moments, he watched as she started to drag the corpse she made towards them and then looked up at the sign above the door. This was the bay where his ship stood. She explained as much. "I mean, if you think we can take 'em on... Yeah, I'm with you." While his tone might have carried a bit of hesitation at first, it soon seemed to carry an eager sense of confidence.

Halden gently put the Zabrak down onto the floor, leaning him against the wall. "We'll need to clear the way, I'll come back for you, okay?" His gaze lingered on the old bartender. Suddenly, an inappropriately loud and shaky "By the stars" escaped him as he recoiled from the elder. "He's not blinking" his voice shivered as he pointed at the man "Ranna, he's not blinking. I- I think he's dead. Blast it, he's dead." The youngster took a few long and quick strides away from the corpses and the door as if trying to create some distance before quickly returning to the woman's side and grabbing the goggles she offered.

Already bloodied from carrying the, now dead, bartender, Halden's appearance turned slightly grimmer as he also equipped the bloodied goggles of the figure whom Ranna had shot in the head. "Let's try to get outta here quickly." his hushed voice carried a rushed and almost callous tone. Instead of reaching for his own blaster, Halden picked up the rifle from the ground next to the cloaked figure. A, perhaps surprisingly, short time passed before he had examined the weapon and seemed to hold it comfortably.

"The guy farthest to the right, roughly what level did you see him at?" If Ranna gave him an estimation of the height, Halden would continue to lean his upper body to the right as he slowly turned the corner. While a combat veteran could probably find a number of flaws in his methods, his form was far from that of a complete novice. Soon, a shot would ring out as Halden fired the blaster and let out a low "Got him"

Ranna Sejast

 

[Ranna Sejast]

When Halden took the rifle she nodded once with approval, and renewed purpose. "Shoulder height." She said turning away from the bartender and back to the door and crouching low. They didn't have the time to mourn him, the bellowing words of her instructor echoing through her ears. Survival trumps everything, anything else is just a distraction for later. Like how capable the young man next to her looked.

She let him pass her and couched low as she flicked her pistols to selector to particle beams, waiting for his shot, when it came she was up in a track runner's sprint through the door. Hopefully the defender's were caught off guard but in case they weren't, she pumped her trigger sending powerful yellow bolts around the spots she'd picked out earlier where they exploded in blasts of heat and light.

The last few feet she dropped to her knees and slid across the metal flooring and behind the giant rolling toolbox she'd picked out earlier just as return fire started to zing through the air around her. Before anything else, she checked her immediate surroundings to see if she'd missed anyone and was about to be flanked. But it looked like she was safe for the moment, or as safe as she could be as another pair of bolts slammed into her cover. Good enough.

Taking a moment to steady her breathing and remind herself where the shots were coming from, she dipped around the corner just long enough to let loose a pair of shots before swinging back into cover. These goggles lit up people and their weapons like a neon nightclub sign. If she was even a little slow the barrel of her blaster or even her hair could give her away and let one of these guys line up on where she was about to pop out. Maybe she could use that?

Searching through her pockets, Ranna came up with a short list of things she had on hand, and eventually decided to risk the comm pad she'd pick up from the bar assailant. Kept in a thigh pocket, it'd be flush with body heat. The merc placed it on the floor and eased just the edge around the metal box before spinning around the far edge to catch another cloaked figure out of cover before he could reangle onto her. This time the powerful exploding bolts made short work of him despite not hitting anything vital.
H Halden Chaussidier

 

[Halden Chaussidier]

Spacer's Quarrel​

A low "Alright" escaped him as he noticed Ranna making an aggressive dash towards the mysterious attackers. Simultaneously, he quickly moved farther to the right and fired a flurry of bolts as soon as he saw an opponent. While none of the bolts hit their mark, they did seem to force the guy into cover and draw some attention from the mechanic.

As quickly as he had hopped out of cover did the youngster hop back in. A number of bolt hit the wall he stood behind and a few swooshed past right where he had poked out previously. His breath was heavy from the rush and adrenaline was quickly filling his systems. The recovery would be quick and he soon readied himself to fire once more. Slowly and methodically, he started to peek out from behind his cover until he had a good view of the right side of Ranna's cover "I've got you're right"

For a while, the Spacer was content just holding his position. The room quieted down as it seemed like everyone were waiting for their opponent to act. Blaringly hot blastermarks were ingrained on crates and walls across the hangars as they waited. And then Ranna sprung to action, making use of a comm pad to create a distraction in order to take a guy out.

Halden could see a number of shots coming towards the mechanic and the crates behind which she hid and used the opportunity to make another aggressive poke out from behind his own cover. Out of the three shots he then fired, the second one managed to hit an assailant whilst the other two impacted the wall behind her.

"Ranna, they're boarding that ship" he called out upon seeing what appeared to be the two cloaked figures board a large civilian hauler. Another flurry of bolts rung out as Halden rushed out from behind the cover to get closer to the ship. This time, a few shots hit the last guy in the back, right before the boarding ramp retracted and the ship doors closed shut.

Ranna Sejast

 

[Ranna Sejast]

"Go for it!" She shouted back at Halden before he unleashed a torrent of his own fire. Using the distraction, Ranna reached around the tool chest and lifted the brake's bar. Now she had mobile cover while she crouched down and tried to muscle it across the bay. She wanted to outflank these guys, get them looking in two different directions. An occasional shot still hit near her and she was genuinely worried about her cover slagging away. Gamely, she kept moving on, sending back the occasional return fire.

Then Halden called out that they were making a run for it and nobody was shooting at her anymore, and she decided to make that a problem for the people that had been trying to kill them. Rising again, she drew her sights on the guy in the rear and fired on him while the other made it to safety. She didn't see which of them hit first, but he flew forward from the multiple shots from herself and her new friend slamming into his back. Then she kept on shooting, splashing exploding bolts across their ship until they were out past the atmospheric shield.

Turning to the young man she asked, "You okay?" She wanted to do more but she could already feel a lightness to her step and the eddies of hot gasses left behind by their fight weren't really dissipating. "Get to your ship! Hey! If there's anybody out in the hall, we won! It's safe! Get to your ships!" Ranna lowered her hand she'd been cupping around her mouth and turned to her beloved fighter. Sin's Tangent wasn't much to look at and most wouldn't think it beautiful, but her heart held a special appreciation for its ruggedness and simple form. One she was now racing towards.

Not bothering with a boarding ladder, she leapt and clambered onto the hull fairing of the cockpit where she punched in the entry code before slipping under her canopy hatch and into her seat. Resealing everything, she began the start-up sequence and started to struggle into her flight suit after shucking her belts and coveralls which were ruthlessly shoved over her shoulder to the back seat. She could just fly without it and pursue immediately, but she wasn't sure if the strange men had turned their stolen ship around and were waiting with readied lasers, and this gave Halden time to ready his own ship. Also if they didn't find anything she could head back onto the station. Maybe help some people, maybe rig up some sort of emergency power, certainly raid that bar for the good stuff.
H Halden Chaussidier

 

[Halden Chaussidier]

Spacer's Quarrel​

As Ranna's bolts exploded against the haluer's tough hull, the ship's engines came to life. Halden fired a few shots at it too - but they appeared to have little effect, especially when compared to the mechanic's more powerful attacks. In the end, there was little more to do than to watch as the ship departed. Halden's chest rose as he took a big breath before letting it all out in a sigh of relief as he watched Ranna's final few bolts hit the ship.

Hitting a light jog, the youngster closed the distance between himself and the mechanic. Although his hair, face and shoulders were blood stained from the goggles and carrying the Zabrak, there was still a bright smile on his lips. While he didn't answer her question, his actions probably did. Halden pulled her in for a quick hug before patting her on the shoulder and let out an enthused "You were incredible!"

He nodded upon being told to get to his ship but lingered for a few moments as Ranna hollered to the others to get to their ships too. "I've got room for passengers" he added before walking over to his ship. Halden left the ramp down as he initiated take-off procedures in the cockpit.

There was no real rush in getting out of the station once they were in their ships. Halden looked down to the Y-wing where Ranna appeared to just have got into her flight suit. He flashed her a happy smile and waved at her before activating his comms, connecting them to the station's local channel "This is Halden of the Errai. The oxygen supplies of this station are about to go bad. If anyone in here can hear me, head to the hangars immediately. There's room for you on the Errai in bay four." Most people would find their way to their own ship and a few permanent station staffers came to the Errai along with a small number of people whom's ships weren't space worthy due to hyperdrive issues and ongoing repairs.

 

[Ranna Sejast]

Civilian ships began to trickle out while Ranna watched. There was no local traffic control with the power out making it look like the awkward bit after a holo movie when everyone was trying to get their speeder out of the lot at once. Fortunately after the few ships truly in a hurry left, the others were more than polite about the evacuation. As for herself, she was more than content to sit in her darkened cockpit and let her mind drift back through the day's events.

Before the last left, she keyed on her own comm, "Thank you Halden. You saved a lot of lives today mine included. I think I'm going to stay here awhile and explore the damage, maybe get an emergency beacon up. There could even still be a few survivors trying to tough it out. Shoot me your contact info and I'll forward you anything relevant if you're interested."

Checking the seals of her flight suit, she pulled on her helmet and felt her ears almost pop as the air pressure cycled up looking for leaks before settling back down. She geared up a little more and changed the power cell in her blaster just in case before leaving her fighter and heading back in. She didn't look back.
H Halden Chaussidier

 

[Halden Chaussidier]

Ranna Sejast

"Thank you, I'm going to get these people to safety. Here's my contact info. Stay out of trouble - this station has been... y'know.... dangerous."

Halden then brought his ship out of the hangar and helped those who took harbour in it.

/Exit thread